Unfortunately

You are probably wondering about the title: "What kind of question is that? Of course Milk is healthy! Don't all those white-mustachioed "Got Milk?" celebs look like pictures of health? Really, what can be wrong with a fresh glass of milk?"

Unfortunately, milk and health are no longer synonymous. Despite the slick media hype and PR, a certain additive found in the milk you drink can actually be dangerous to your health!

The major culprit lurking inside each cup of milk is RBST, a chemical hormone developed twenty years ago by the giant Monsanto drug and Pharmaceutical Company. On dairy farms across the US, the RBST hormone is regularly injected into cows to induce them to produce up to 25% more milk than they would naturally.

Obviously, that hefty increase represents a lot of milk, which adds up to a lot of money. Unfortunately, this big jump in milk production comes along with big negative side effects that travel up the food chain.

At first, RBST is hazardous and harmful to the cow itself, raising its exposure and incidence of cancerous growths. The problem doesn't end just with this abuse on the farm. RBST is not just a cow problem. Medical studies have found that the negative effects are also being transferred and passed on to humans, placing particularly women and young children drinking this type of milk at great risk. The RBST chemical has actually been banned in Canada, Europe and many other countries. But the use of RBST is still allowed in the United States, due to lobbying pressure from milk industry.

Fortunately

Problems also have solutions, and the strongest antidote to the widespread RBST epidemic in this country is the Ahava Dairy Co., an exclusive dairy processor that is fully committed to preserve and protect the natural purity of its milk.

Ahava's strict policy prohibits any chemicals in any part of its dairy production, buying all its milk directly from a select group of farms that are guaranteed not to use any RBST on their cows.

Originally founded in 1986 to serve the Kosher community, the Ahava Food Corporation, located in upstate New York's Finger Lake Region, has grown consistently, and presently empl oys almost 200.

Although all USDA certified milk is generally assumed to be Kosher (milked from cows rather than non-Kosher farm animals) many observant consumers follow the stringent ruling that requires Jewish supervision for milk from the start of the process. This special Kosher supervised milk, known as "Chalav Yisroel," is becoming increasingly available in Kosher stores and supermarkets of larger Jewish communities.

While there are also other "Chalav Yisroel" companies, Ahava is unique . It owns and operates its own plant, while other producers must lease their facilities at plants that also produce non-Chalav Yisrael. Switching on and off between Kosher and non kosher productions necessitates complicated and time consuming kosherizing procedures to thoroughly cleanse all the pastuerizers, tanks, vats and miles of pipes and tubing. The degree of heat temperature required for such a Kosherizing can become an issue due to the sensitivity of the equipment, and companies will sometimes resort to certain loopholes and leniencies to allow their productions.

But Ahava's ownership and exclusive control of its $50 million modern processing plant eliminates any need to Kosherize its system, thus allowing it to adhere to the highest standards. Indeed, Ahava is the world's only exclusive Kosher milk producing system outside of Israel.

Ahava is able to buy milk on its terms only from selected farms that are guaranteed not to use RBST. The steady presence of rabbinic supervisors and inspectors at the Chalav Yisroel milking further confirms that none of the cows involved were RBST induced.

There is also a financial factor involved. To compensate many of its farmers for the milk production they 'lose' by not using RBST, Ahava pays a premium for the non-treated milk it buys from them.

Ahava is thus able to offer the discriminating consumer crucial kosher and health benefits.

But Ahava's strict insistence on purity does not mean that its dairy products are bland and lackluster. Indeed, Ahava has a full line of yogurts and cheeses that show an exciting diversity of colors and flavors, with healthy fresh fruit and jams, catering to various tastes and needs.

Sensitive to the diversity within the observant community, Ahava meets the special requirements of its clientele in various Jewish communities.

By examining the Kosher symbols on the various brands, we notice that the 'Morning Select' brand is certified by Rabbi Babad and the Star K of Baltimore; the 'Ahava' Brand is certified by the Beth Din of Crown Heights, while the 'New Square Brand' is under supervision of the Squerer Hasidic community of Rockland County.

The Ahava Food Corporation has since expanded beyond milk and dairy products. It now also distributes a high quality Orange Juice that contains more 'brick' fruit pulp than the more popularly advertised Tropicana, "We can't compete with a brand name like Tropicana in terms of name recognition and outer packaging, but we consistently beat them in better juice content, in many blind tastings," said an Ahava official.

Of special note is Ahava's current promotion of a full line of Israeli food products to help support the ailing Israeli economy in the present crisis. Ahava is the main distributor of Golani Cheeses and various Miki Salads and chicken and turkey products that it imports from Israel.